Poppy Fields
by Novel Intent
Summary: It is 1994. Remus Lupin has been missing since the war and there are rumors of the Dark Lord's return. A mysterious young girl with no recollection of who she is or where she came from falls into the Weasleys lives. Some think she's a spy, others think she is the key to saving the wizarding world. But who is she really? [sequel to An Unfamiliar Melody/Tomorrow Never Knows] AU.
1. A Little Girl Found

**Disclaimer:** The Harry Potter series and it's characters do not belong to me, but are the product of J.K. Rowling's amazing mind. No copyright infringement is intended with the writing and posting of this story. Also, my story cover is the banner I had for this fic when I had it posted to HPFF, though I made some alterations to have it fit all credit for its awesomeness goes to the uber-talented ahoythere at TDA.

**A/N:** I know I had originally posted this as a longer first chapter but as I went about writing the following chapters I felt it made more sense to cut it short and make it a prologue instead. I hope this change doesn't bother those of you who read my original post too much (if anything you guys will have a little extra information). Thanks so much to those of you who have already followed/favorited this fic. I hope this doesn't disappoint!

P.S. Reviews are always appreciated. They make me all sorts of warm and fuzzy... _aaannd_ it's my only way of knowing what you all think =)

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_"Confusion in her eyes that says it all._

_She's lost control._

_And she's clinging to the nearest passer by,_

_She's lost control."_

— Joy Division, "She Lost Control"

**Prologue: A Little Girl Found**

There once was a young girl who found herself in a magical but dangerous world, captured by a wicked group who believed her to be a spy. She was kept prisoner and tortured for information which she did not possess until one day she was finally determined enough to escape.

The young girl was not sure where she and her captor were but had spotted a small village nearby as they had traveled. Maybe, just maybe, if she planned it well enough she could get away long before he realized she had run. But she was tied to him by an enchanted chain that could stretch out forever, never breaking without the proper incantation. Her captor knew this incantation, he used it often when he believed the girl to be completely subdued—she had heard it earlier that week as she pretended to be unconscious. She shifted closer to him, pretending to seek his shelter from the early morning chill, and carefully slipped a thin, wooden stick out from the back pocket of his trousers. He noticed nothing but believed the girl was beginning to care for him the way he had once read hostages sometimes did for their captors. He had never been very kind to her, but it wasn't as if the little girl could remember; she had always been "asleep"...or so he thought.

He did not know how it happened but the man suddenly found himself on the ground watching as the girl ran from him in the direction of the village with his wand clasped firmly in her left hand.

She turned, shouting all the curses her captor had ever used on her as he begun to chase after her. He drew nearer to her with every one of his great strides, and she found she could not keep him down long enough. Perhaps it was because she never wished pain on anyone, not even him, and such curses were meant to be fueled by hatred. Even after all he had done to her, the young girl felt he did not deserve to die, especially not at her hand. She felt it was wrong and that she'd surely crumble under the tremendous guilt if she hurt him seriously. She did not wish to harm anyone, she merely longed to be free so she could go back to her family. She could hardly remember anything about them anymore but knew she missed them terribly. Her only hope resting on a single image of the place she knew she loved. It was the thought of Brighton that had kept her going all those days locked in a dark dungeon, it was because of Brighton that she did not giving up. She would find someone in the village willing to help her... She would get her life back.

The more the girl ran, the harder it got for to continue. Lungs and limbs burning, she longed to take a rest but was well aware she could not afford to.

She noticed the tip of the hill too late, taking a step into the air before tumbling down its side. Twigs and rocks dug into her bare arms and legs, scratching her face. Hot tears began pouring from her eyes as her captor came to stand above her, snatching his wand back from her. She had been unsuccessful and surely now she would be punished far worse than ever before.

"I-I just want to go home," she choked out shakily. "I won't say a word. I promise I'll be quiet, I'll—"

Her captor's face was a smooth, calm mask that unsettled her greatly. His face was so much like the waves the girl would watch from her bedroom window; the calm before the storm, she called it. She still remembered that vividly: the waves, the salty yet sweet smell which lingered in the air... Her captor always looked this way when he was about to do something...something _bad_. She screwed her eyes shut and desperately tried to detach herself from her body and the pain of the curses, the hexes, the things that were far worse that she did not want to even think of...

When it was over ever inch of her buzzed, completely numb, and her captor shoved her deeper into the earth. His booted foot across her chest sucked all the air from her, and she heard rather than felt the crunching noise of bones captor crouched before her, taking her face roughly with his fingers hoping to leave marring bruised to perfect honey complexion. His eyes gleamed in the dim light with shallow kindness as he spoke. "You have touched me deeply," he chuckled, making the girl flinch, "so I'm going to set you free, my little bird." He gave a dramatic pout at the young girl's incredulity. "For now," he clarified. "Do not worry, my sweet, we shall be together again before you know it. In fact, you won't."

He looked down at her through his stringy blond fringe which looked white as the sky began to lighten in the horizon. A simpler person might have thought this the expression belonged to a man in love, but the girl knew better. She could see the threat burning in his dark brown eyes.

The word came out as a soft, sweet caress as he lifted his wand to her temple. "Obliviate."


	2. Chapter 1 - A Pond and a Melody

** Disclaimer:** Still don't own the magic, but the OCs are all mine.

**A/N:** It's cool if your reading TNN and haven't read AUM, but if that's the case I would suggest you don't read this chapter as it is pretty spoilery. For those of you who read AUM but are not reading TNN I've changed a few things: most notably in this chapter is Keri Kerr is now Mary MacDonald. I hope this doesn't get too confusing for you all, especially since I'm not even half-way through the rewrite of part one (TNN). As always thanks to all of you for reading, hugs to those of you who liked this enough to click Follow/Favorite. Review if you please, that would be lovely. =)

Enjoy the chapter, everyone!

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"Beauty supreme.

Yeah, you were right about me.

But can I get myself out from underneath

this guilt that will crush me"

—Brand New, "Limousine"

**Chapter 1: A Pond and a Melody**

Since the war all of Melody Corden's dreams had been filled with pain and fear, loss and guilt. They were dreams—_nightmares_, rather—so vivid that she could feel all of it as if she were truly living it. But she had, for they were all the memories she had tried to repress; slipping through the cracks of sleep every time she closed her eyes. No potion could keep the memories from reemerging and Melody had not had a single night of peaceful sleep in all the year's since Lord Voldemort was said to have been defeated.

In this particular dream—a much more recent memory—stood in the very center of a dark, derelict room. Her smooth chestnut curls quivered as she shook violently with rage. Before her stood a small man with colorless hair and tiny watery eyes, his features very much resembling those of a rat. This man was Peter Pettigrew.

He held a young black-haired, green-eyed boy by the collar of his shirt. The boy kicked and struggled in a desperate attempt to free himself as his wand was nowhere to be seen. He was covered in dirt, sweat and dry blood.

"Let him go, Pete," said Melody, in a low, dangerous tone. It was not a request. "If you hurt him I swear I'll—"

"You'll kill me?" he sneered, shoving the boy toward her. He fell coughing at Melody's feet and scurried behind her, finding his wand just bellow a nearby window. Though he knew no spells he could possibly use against Pettigrew, the boy rose to his feet and pointed his wand menacingly at him. "I was never going to hurt him, you must have known that, just as you must have known this was all to lure you to your death. Yet here you are. Clever using the map to find me. Never lies, does it?"

"What have you got to gain from my murder, Peter? It sure as hell won't make you Voldemort's right hand man."

"Won't it?" he murmured. "You've always known the truth about me and I was still able to fool you. I've been nothing but loyal to my master, and I will be rightfully rewarded when I bring him your head."

Everything had gone black and when the picture reemerged she was elsewhere, lying on a thin mattress in a blindingly white room.

"Harry's all right, everyone is," said Sirius Black, gently stroking her hair, "but Pettigrew got away."

And then Melody felt herself being pulled back, falling into a dark endless abyss of solitude and despair.

She woke with a start, her heart beat rapidly, painfully, against her ribcage. She lay in bed, drenched in sweat and tears. Her room was dark except for the thin sliver of light creeping though the crack of her lilac curtains. The digital clock on her nightstand glowed an ominous red:5:53 a.m. Melody sat up, wrapping her bed sheets around her naked body.

Beside her lay Sirius whom she believed to be sound asleep until his soft groggy voice reached her, murmuring the same question he asked upon waking from their nights together. It was almost like a 'good morning' between the two of them. "What is this? This thing between us? We've been doing this for the past three years, Melody."

She sat at the edge of the bed with her bare back to him as she looked at him through her wardrobe's mirrored doors. Her hair half obscured her face so Sirius did not realize she was crying until she spoke, her words sticking to her throat. "You always ask me that," she sighed mournfully, "but I don't know."

_I may never know_, she thought.

Now beside her Sirius bent down to kiss Melody's shoulder, smoothing her hair back behind her ear. For a brief moment Sirius thought she would let him stay that close to her but she quickly pushed him away; she always did when he wanted to be affectionate. He had always found it so strange how they could spent the night together but once it was over she wouldn't even let him hold her hand. "What's wrong?"

In response to his question Melody was sorely tempted to say, "This" but went with "nightmares" instead which was at least in part true.

Sirius sighed, shifting awkwardly under the covers as he pulled on his trousers; no underpants, as usual.

He was used to this. It was always like this. Melody would allow Sirius to be with her but not to see her, or she him. Everything was either done discreetly or in total darkness. This being the case because Melody had, since the beginning of this awkward affair, felt that if she allowed herself to see what was happening it would feel much too real for her liking and that she'd therefore feel crushed by the guilt of her actions. She was not yet ready to face the guilt, and she doubted she ever would be. About him, about...her husband.

She watched Sirius, astounded by how much he still looked like a teenager. He still had the same smirk and the same mischievous glint in his stormy gray eyes which had always filled her with lusty thoughts, as much as she denied it. Despite the never-ending stress which his career entailed and the fact that he was now in his mid-thirties he had a distinctly youthful and carefree aura about him. She had always loved him, there was no denying that, but she had always loved her husband much more.

Though he was said to be gone for good, she couldn't help but feel these frequent rendezvous were a monstrous betrayal to Remus for she had never really believed the news of his death. She had seen the ghastly, unidentifiable remains and cried over them but deep down Melody felt that he was still out there somewhere. She was convinced that she would have known if he had really died—a rather romantic notion, admittedly. No one argued against her, not wanting to cause her further distress.

Deep in thought Melody had not noticed that Sirius had already left for the bathroom, nor that he had set out her clothes neatly beside her: a striped black and white blouse; her favorite pair of trousers; and pointy black ankle boots. Sirius's olive green jacket lay forgotten on the dresser and, after she herself was cleaned up and ready, Melody slipped it on as they set off to the Ministry together.

**~ooOOOoo~**

Things were only weird between Sirius and Melody behind closed doors, but at work everyone knew them to be the best of friends. This behavior was so natural and came so easy to them that no one had the slightest inkling that there was something more going on between them. Not even James and Lily Potter who were their closest friends. Not even Melody's children. Sirius Black and Melody Lupin were always chatty, always joking and, surprisingly enough, always working. They were perfect as far as anyone was concerned.

As they walked toward the lift Melody begun to unwrap a strawberry lollypop she had produced from her bag which Sirius went on to snatch from her the very instant she was about to pop in in her mouth. He grinned widely at her as she crossed her arms over her chest and she glared at him for a moment before shrugging and dumping an entire packet of Drooble's, which she had found in the pocket of Sirius's jacket, in her mouth.

"Hey!" protested Sirius with a childish pout. "That was mine!"

Melody rolled her eyes and blew an impressively large bubble as they weaved through the throng of fellow Ministry workers toward the lift.

In the lift they were met by Nymphadora Tonk, a quirky young woman who worked in the Auror department alongside Sirius, as her untied shoelaces caused her to stumble right into them. Quite used to her clumsiness, Sirius and Melody merely smiled and helped steady her back onto her feet.

"Wotcher!" the two women chirped simultaneously. Though it always happened it never failed to make either of them laugh.

"All right, Tonks?" chuckled Melody.

"Brilliant!" She grinned as she bounced on the balls of her feet. "I've got brilliant news but I'll bet you two won't guess what it is!"

"Your mum's finally given you consent to change your name?" joked Sirius.

Tonks rolled her eyes. "Ha bloody ha," she said dryly.

"Well, I'm completely at a loss. How about you, Mels?"

Melody shrugged. "Haven't the slightest clue. Oh, go on, Tonks, tell us!"

"You two can't really be that daft can you? I mean, it was in this mornings _Prophet_."

Melody and Sirius stared at Tonk blankly as neither of them had picked up a copy of the paper yet.

Choosing to put them out of their confused misery, Tonks took in a deep breath and blurted out, "Yougotthepromotion!"

"Sorry?" they asked in unison.

"Sirius is the new Head of the department!" she squealed excitedly, bouncing on the balls of her feet before lunging at him for an embrace. "Congrats!"

Sirius remained in a speechless daze while Melody just ran her fingers her bright yellow pigtails and breathed, " Just how many people did you have to shag and/or bribe and/or blackmail to beat out Scrimgeour? I _swear_ if you got with Fudge I've officially lost all respect for you."

He shoved Melody's shoulder playfully as Tonks laughed. "Shut up! I worked really hard for this!"

"Really?" asked Melody, quirking a skeptical brow. "Just like you studied 'really hard' for your N.E.W.T.s?"

"Well, we've obviously got to celebrate!" proclaimed Tonks.

"Of course," chirped Melody as she grinned up at Sirius in a proud and admiring way. "Dinner at James and Lily's tonight?"

"Yeah, all right," he and Tonks said in unison.

"I'll bring the Firewhiskey!" Tonks volunteered as she bounced out of the lift, waving them goodbye as she headed, tripping over nothing, to her desk.

Sirius was met by a round of applause and was shown his brand new office which had a shiny plaque with his name on it on the door. It was huge with a hefty stack of paperwork already waiting for him on his desk.

"Good luck," Melody sniggered.

Sirius chuckled as he sat down in his plushy new desk chair and ran a hand through his short yet floppy hair. "Well, this will really make _my_ news seem silly in comparison."

Melody gave him a questioning look and he begun digging through his satchel (he thought carrying a suitcase would make him look like a git) and seconds later pulled out four long, thin strips of paper.

Tilting her head to the side Melody read the cramp lettering on each one and sputtered out an excited profanity. "Seriously! _Who_ are you shagging?!" she cried, snatching the tickets out of his hand hungrily. "These are prime seats! There's no way you bought them, even with your salary!"

"I didn't," he concurred, grinning widely. "Good ol' Ludo gave 'em to me."

"Ludo? As in Bagman?" asked Melody skeptically. "That man never gives anything away, not unless there's something in it for him." Melody's eyes widened. "_Oh my Merlin!_ You _are_ shagging him!"

"What is this preoccupation with my sex life, eh? No, don't answer that. Long story short: the man owes me money. He thought this would be enough to repay me. It's still a couple of galleons short, mind."

"Blimey. How much did he lose and on _what_?"

Sirius shrugged again, beginning to rummage through the papers on his desk in a bored manner. Every now and then he'd sloppily sign one and set it in a different pile. He wore a proud, purposeful grin on his face as he worked. "I told him not to underestimate the Harpies."

Melody let out a tinkling laugh that sent pleasant shivers throughout Sirius's body and made him glad he was seated behind his desk.

"It amazes me how stupid Ludo can be. He got knocked on his arse by the Harpies enough back in the day to know better," said Melody, hopping up onto the edge of Sirius's desk.

"So you'll go?" he asked, looking up at her hopefully. "James and Harry have already got tickets of their own and I was hoping the kids would come along as well..."

She smiled, leaning down to kiss his cheek. "That's so sweet of you. They'll be absolutely thrilled!"

Melody lingered near Sirius for a moment, contemplating whether she should really kiss him or not. Was she ready to break that boundary and face all the consequences that went with this otherwise innocent action? Her body seemed to think it was time. Then again, her body often led her to do idiotic things. It was much better to function under her brains order. Common sense, that was good... So why was she getting closer to him still?

As their noses grazed each other she suddenly became distracted by the something on Sirius's desk. It was that morning's _Daily Prophet_. On it was a picture of a bewildered girl took up about half of the front page with a bold headline which read: The Mysterious Lost Girl.

Though it was not in color, Melody could see that the girl had long, dark hair that was quite frizzy. It was all over the place in tangles though it appeared clean. Her eyes were almond-shaped and light, framed by dark lashes that curled upward ending just below her eyebrows. She looked more frightened than bewildered upon closer examination. And who could blame her? Melody knew all too well what it felt like being bombarded by the flashes and prying questions of reporters. Even years after it happened...

Melody was never supposed to have survived. In fact, she should have been dead several times over but some strange force even beyond her great understanding seemed to keep her tethered to the world. Whatever it was didn't seem to be too keen on her past keeping her alive because her mind had slowly begun to disintegrate with every near-death experience. Now, in her thirties, she could not recall most of what happened throughout her teenage years. She could not recall what had happened the night Harry Potter defeated Lord Voldemort despite having been told she was present, despite having also survived his killing curse.

It was impossible, even she knew it, and yet that was precisely what had happened. With Polyjuice Potion she had transformed into and had posed as Lily Potter that Halloween night while the real Lily hid beneath her husband's Invisibility Cloak. Melody had confided the plan in her sister-in law, Mary, knowing she would not stop her nor think her mad for coming up with something so dangerous for them all. It had been Melody's hope to cast a powerful protection charm over the Potter family with her sacrifice. It worked. Though Lily would tell you it was painful to watch, rendered motionless only a few feet away, as the most evil wizard of all time attempted to kill her only child and her best friend. She could only pray it turned out all right.

And it did...just not for Melody, at least not for a long time. She awoke after three years in a coma with no recollection of who she was to find that her children had grown and her husband had never come back. She could remember everything about everyone she loved, but nothing about herself. It came back gradually but not entirely. She believed it never would. There were journals that could fill in those missing pieces but no one knew where they were.

This was her curse. She would live the remainder of her life only half-alive, never truly being the person she once was. No one wanted to admit it, but it had been years since they felt that warm, distinct glow only she could emit, that could brighten a room instantly.

This girl...she was so much like her. The way she looked reminded her so much of how she had felt those few months after her reawakening, how she still sometimes felt now. It was heartbreaking. It was something only she could understand.

The article said that the Ministry was doing all they could to locate her family but they were nowhere near succeeding. No one in either world seemed to know who she was. Yes, Melody remembered it now. Several weeks back she had seen a similar picture of her on the tele but thought nothing of it since it had been as brief as an intake of breath. They didn't know if the girl was a witch but she had been under the Weasley's care since she was released from St. Mungo's.

She was making great improvements, said Arthur Weasley in the article, though she still could not remember anything about herself or her life before they found her.

"What improvements, then?" whispered Melody.

"Sorry?" said Sirius, looking up from a report he had begun to scan.

"Did you know about this?"

"It's already been taken care of," he replied, distinctly disinterested.

"Then why was it on your desk?" she persisted.

Sirius shrugged. "Her injuries, I suppose," he said, waving his hand in a manner that suggested unimportance. "Felicity Moon from St. Mungo's sent us the girl's file. Apparently she suffered extensive memory charm damage, far more intricate than what they saw with Lockhart. It's too dangerous to lift without seriously damaging her, but Felicity believes the girl may be able to retrieve her memories eventually since she found some weak points to its execution. There's also traces of the Cruciatus having been used on her repeatedly, and quite a few physical injuries but there are no leads on who could have done it. If she can't remember anything her case is as good as dead."

"That's awful. You don't think...?"

"That she could be like you?" he inquired with a quirked brow. "That's highly unlikely, Mels. Clearly this girl, or her parents, are of some importance but we have absolutely no evidence to lead us to a suspect. I'd love to help her but there are other things that are of higher priority at the moment. Surely you can understand that?"

"She's so much like me," sighed Melody as she ran her fingers softly over the picture.

"But she's not you," said Sirius, snatching the newspaper away from her. "Put it out of your mind, love. The Weasleys will care for her, you know they will. They've grown rather fond of the girl—'Pond,' they call her. Silly, isn't it?"

"Don't you think...?"

"No, Melody!" snapped Sirius. Melody flinched which immediately made Sirius regret his tone. He ran his hands frustratedly through his hair and said, "Not everyone who looses their memory travels across time and dimensions! You're special. Mels. You needn't worry about her. I have it on good authority that Dumbledore has granted her admission to Hogwarts. She will be perfectly safe there under his protection."

"But you have no idea how it feels," said Melody miserably, plopping down into the chair on the other side of Sirius's desk, "how lonely and frustrating it is, like being trapped in a nightmare. I need to help her. I need to help Pond."

"Don't get involved," Sirius urged her, but from experience he knew that she would not listen.

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**A/N #2:** I edited this but rather quickly and probably not very well. I should probably look into getting a Beta. Anyone interested? Let me know if you are.


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